I’ve owned one version or another of the Craftsman 3-in-1 Rolling Workshop (model CMST18614) for a long time (similar versions are available under the Stanley FatMax and DeWalt brands). But regardless of the logo on the packaging, this toolbox is essential to my day-to-day deck building and other construction activities. It just works.
While you probably don’t want to hire me to hip your rafters or perspire your pipes, perhaps the one true superpower I have is tool-storage domination. I know where my stuff is and don’t have to spend much time looking for it; whether it’s a caulk gun, a cat’s paw, or other specialty tool, I know where to find it when I need it. This box, and how it’s designed, is a big part of my success.
I try to store stuff in “categories,” which is important when you are a remodeler and tasked with doing it all, all of the time: decks, bathrooms, demolition, painting (ack, yes, I paint), crown, and so on. I have colleagues who are skilled at plumbing or electric or whatever, and they have a “box” or “bucket” for trade-specific tools, too. But the problem with the box or bucket gambit is that it’s just a pile, with sides. The Craftsman box, on the other hand, is a trilayer, telescoping chest of drawers that undoes the pile mojo. With cubes, bins, and mobility, it’s sublimely sized at 22-by-16-by-30-inches, including a steel roll-a-board-style handle, wheels, and drawer slides. All ruggedly built in the USA.
Read More
